Almost immediately after the Boston Common tree lighting, the city will light up the Commonwealth Avenue Mall and Charlesgate Park on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 8:15 p.m. The lights will extend to Kenmore Square this year for the first time ever, the Boston Parks & Recreation Department says.

This year’s tree is a 30-year-old and 45-foot-tall white spruce from the Mattie Settlement in Antigonish County, according to a statement from the city’s Parks and Recreation department.

With Christmas a little more than a month away, Boston is gearing up for the delivery of its Christmas tree. The Nova Scotia Government announced a 45-foot white spruce is being donated to be this year’s “Tree for Boston” The tree will come from the Mattie Settlement in Antigonish County owned by Hugh and Liz Ryan.

Boston's annual Christmas Tree celebrates much more than just the holiday, it also celebrates a historic friendship between two communities that's been more than a century in the making. The tree is an annual gift from Nova Scotia to the city to show appreciation for Boston's help after the Halifax Explosion in 1917.